Old Blood
by Blueberry Ragamuffin
Summary: Of all the best friends Al Potter and Scorpius Malfoy could have chosen, they chose each other. See how their families react and watch their confusion as to why their friendship is such a big deal.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Howdy! I'm really new to writing fan fiction, so please be honest and tell me what I need to improve. Don't spare my feelings – if you think I really need to fix something, please just tell me straight up. Thanks! **

"Mummy! Mummy!" called out a young boy. He ran to his mother, because this could not be held off until later. He needed an answer _now._

"Yeah, Al?" she asked absentmindedly as she checked her shopping list.

"Mum, can I pretty, _pretty, pretty, _please have this ferret? I swear, I'll clean its cage and play with it and —"

"I'm sorry, Al, but I don't think that Princess will get along well with a ferret."

Al hung his head in dramatic sadness that is to be expected when a six-year-old can't get a pet. "But Mum," he said, "he'll be extra nice and never go looking for trouble."

"I'm not worried about what the ferret will look for, sweetheart. You know how much Princess likes hew things."

Ginny looked sympathetically down at her son. She never approved of Princess, Fang's mysterious son, being around her children. Harry was right about the dog; Princess was great with the children. The amount of slobber he produced was what made her go mad.

Al walked back to the ferret aisle, giving the animal a forlorn glance before turning back to his mum's cart.

"Your mum didn't let you get a pet either?" asked a boy giving an owl the same expression.

"Yeah. We already have a dog at home, but the ferret wouldn't have hurt anyone."

"Same thing here, except we have a snake. I hate the ugly thing – he bit me last week. I almost _died. _ Wanna see the scar?"

Even though Al was squeamish with bites and scars, (which was ironic, considering his father would always be covered with bites and scars) he didn't want to seem like a wimp in front of the new kid. The scar from the snake was more of a scab, but Al acted like he was so disgusted with the goriness of the wound that he was about to be sick. The reaction made the boy feel superior, which Al didn't mind since he was used to superior people (a.k.a. his brother). The boys talked about how annoying snakes were, and then moved on to Quidditch, which led them to talking for a very long while. So long, Ginny had come to search for Al.

"Al, it's time to leave," she said. At the same time, the other boy's mother had come, too.

"Come on, sweetie, it's almost dinner time." She said.

"Mum, can Al come over?" the boy asked.

"While Al seems very nice, dear, his parents don't know us."

"Mum, get to know her!" Al said in a raised voice. Ginny gave him a look, and he feebly added "please?"

Ginny kept herself from laughing and asked the other boy, "What's your name?"

"I'm Scorpius Malfoy, ma'am."

Her stomach fell to her ankles. Now that she knew the name, Ginny saw the clone-like resemblance between the father and son. Just like with Harry and his sons. Scorpius had said his name with such great enthusiasm; Ginny felt pity for his naiveté concerning his surname.

She had a blank face for too long. Al nudged her knee, and she instantly regained her composure. "I'm Ginny Potter," she said. Ginny saw Scorpius's mother wear the same expression she had.

"Aren't you two so _great _at picking friends!" Mrs. Malfoy said in a peppy, though slightly hysteric, voice. Ginny laughed nervously along with her, thanking whoever above that it was the wives instead of the husbands meeting.

"Mummy, what's funny?" Lily asked from her seat in the cart. The boys looked equally confused as she did.

"You'll understand someday," Mrs. Malfoy told her.

"So, Mrs. Malfoy —" Ginny said, before being interrupted.

"Please, call me Astoria."

"Astoria, what, um, what should we do about this?" Ginny gestured around with her hands, hoping to get her point across.

"They're friends, and also children. They don't know why it's such a big deal, so why should we care? I say that we set up a play date." Astoria leaned in closer and whispered, "husbands be damned."

Ginny smiled, nodded in agreement, and made arrangements with Astoria. They were to meet at Amergin Playground for Wizarding Children the coming Saturday, at noon.


	2. Chapter 2

The dinner conversation was normal: fun humors of raising children mixed with the latest Weasley gossip. Wednesday's latest piece of gossip included the trip to Diagon Alley from earlier that day. Ginny wasn't eager to bring up Al's play date since Andromeda and Teddy were eating with them.

She knew when Scorpius said his name that there wouldn't be the best acceptance among the family. Nobody ever spoke of the Malfoys, or of any former Death Eaters, but there was a ghostly spirit of them that haunted Hermione's scarred arm or a forgotten picture of Fred and George. Andromeda and Teddy weren't exceptions; in fact, people deliberately steered the conversation away from Death Eaters in their company. Though it was easy to overlook, Andromeda's sister was the one who gave Hermione her scar and killed Tonks. Obviously, it was awkward when Harry would bring up the arrest of a former Death Eater and Andromeda would remember a face.

So maybe it wouldn't be the best idea to bring up Al's new friend. A selfish part of Ginny was hoping that Scorpius would act like his father as much as he looked like him. In this scenario, Al would get annoyed and declare that he didn't want to be friends with _Malfoy. _The smart part of her knew that her scenario was extremely unlikely. If Scorpius was like the Draco she recalled, the first thing he would've asked Al was who his parents were, not if he wanted to see his life-threatening snake bite.

Ginny decided that she would tell Andromeda and Harry together about the play date. She'd rather Andromeda heard it from her than someone else, and why not kill two birds with one stone by telling Harry at the same time?

Once the kids had raced to the back yard, Ginny took her chance. Andromeda always insisted on helping with the dishes, even though it would take less than two minutes for Ginny or Harry to do it. No one complained, though; it gave the grown-ups a time to talk.

"So Ginny," Harry began, "how was your trip to Diagon Alley?"

"It was fine. Al made a friend, though. Are you free Saturday at noon?"

"You've already made a play date?"

"Yeah, you know how those little baby eyes get me."

Harry gently shoved her and Andromeda laughed at them.

"What's the lad's name, Ginny?" Andromeda asked.

Ginny looked her straight in the eyes and said "Scorpius Malfoy."

As if on queue, there was the awkward silence. She could feel Harry's eyes searching her face for expressions and Andromeda's eyes on the plate she was holding.

"_What_?" Harry exclaimed. He could be very impassive when he wanted to, but in that moment, he seemed to loose his cover.

"What's he like?" Andromeda asked. She suddenly looked older, more mature.

"Polite – I was shocked when he told me his name. The boy said it with such _bravado, _which sounded odd because of the Malfoys' fall from grace. I suppose he doesn't know about that yet."

"I would think not. I remember Dora asking me about my family when she was that age. Ted always had relatives coming by, but no one ever visited from my side."

"How did you tell her about your upbringing?" asked Harry.

"I just told her, 'My family has a different set of morals from ours.' She seemed to understand. Dora was such a bright child..."

For a few minutes the only sound was the washing and drying dishes. Then, Andromeda reckoned it was time for her and Teddy to go home. He would be fourteen in two weeks, but he still had the mentality of a five-year-old while playing with the Potter children. When Andromeda told him it was time to leave, he didn't say anything, but he gave one of the saddest pouts anyone had ever seen. Manipulating his face to look like an actual child didn't help with the adorable factor.

His grandmother relented and told him he could spend the night at his godfather's home, as long as it was fine with him. Teddy changed back into a teenager and hugged his grandmother good-bye.

Harry was great at hiding his emotions, as Ginny knew well. She considered herself a professional when it came to reading her husband. Based off of how he looked at Al and how distracted he seemed, Ginny made her own conclusions concerning what he thought of the little Malfoy.

"What do you think of the play date, Harry?" asked Ginny. They were in bed, simply laying there thinking over their day. She heard him bang his head against the headboard in response.

"Honestly, how horrible do you think this is? Astoria, Scorpius's mother, was just as polite as her son. I don't see why it's such a big deal to you."

"_Really, _you don't understand why I'm not jumping for joy over my child becoming friends with a former Death Eater's son?"

"Key word, _former. _And from what you've told me, Malfoy was forced into the Death Eater life by his parents, anyway. This is a sign of overcoming those stupid blood prejudices. If a Malfoy and a Potter can be best friends, imagine how tensions between Gryffindors and Slytherins will go down."

"But Ginny, he's a _Malfoy._"

"You're being just as unfair as any blood supremist by not approving of their friendship!"

The last comment seemed like a low blow to Harry, even though Ginny considered it the harsh truth. They moved out of their snuggle positions and ended up sleeping as far away from each other as the bed would allow. The comment seemed to sink in through Harry's thick head, because once the sun rose,

"Fine. I'll pretend to be okay with this, for Al."

Malfoy Manner was much more elaborate than Astoria preferred. The house was too much for Pansy, their house-elf. Draco always told her that another elf was available, but she refused. She already felt guilty about Pansy, so another elf would be out of the question for her conscience. Draco didn't seem to care about her attitude concerning house-elves, but he warned her to watch her tongue around Lucius. While they were dating, Astoria was annoyed with Lucius's obedience to times and morals long past. Once they were wed, Astoria began to understand. Lucius needed something from his old life of prestige to hang onto. The Malfoys were known as sneaky, lying Death Eaters. Nothing would change that, except maybe a few generations.

She knew that Draco wouldn't agree with Scorpius's new friend. The boys weren't technically friends yet, but even a simple play date was a milestone. If the stone would even reach a foot, anyway.

Draco was in the kitchen, already cooking. One thing he would never tell anyone besides his wife was that he found cooking and baking delightful. Astoria supposed that it may have been a calming mechanism for him, after WWII (Wizarding War Two; one of the secrets she kept from her pureblood family was that she thought Muggle history was fascinating).

"Great, you two are home. Did you get the mice for Weaselbee?"

"Yep," Scorpius said. Astoria froze; she wasn't sure, but wasn't Ginny a Weasley before she was a Potter? She remembered Draco's love for naming animals after people he disliked. Along with a house-elf named after an ex-girlfriend, Draco had a tendency to name the mice he gave to Weaselbee "Harry" or "Potty-head." Sometimes, Astoria wondered how many children she was raising. That would have to end. Thankfully, she was almost positive that Scorpius didn't name their snake to Al.

During dinner, Scorpius brought up said friend.

"What's his name?"asked Draco immediately.

"Al. He thinks my snake scar is gross."

Draco laughed, but Astoria could see that he would ask her for the boy's last name later.

"I've actually made a play date for the two this Saturday at noon. Are you free, Draco?"

"I can get away; You should know, son, how important your friends are."

"But friends are just friends, right? You talk about sports, you complain, you agree with what they say..." stammered Scorpius.

"No, Scorp," said Draco. "Friends show who you find interesting, or who you agree with. Having a mean friend might mean guilt by association in certain cases."

Instead of reading into his father's words, Scorpius look frightened. "If a friend of mine does something bad, does that mean that I get punished, too?"

"No, sweetheart," Astoria said. "What your father said was, people judge you by your friends."

"Is that why people thought you were a Death Eater, Daddy? Because you were friends with them?"

Scorpius had the look of a confused six-year-old – as simple as a complicated maths problem or a foreign animal. He didn't know why his question was out of bounds, or why his father was staring at him with a hurt expression. All he understood was that you are judged by your friends.

"Scorpius, why don't you go study for your spelling test?" Astoria asked.

He silently left the room, without his befuzzlement leaving his face.

"I can't believe it's come to him already." Draco said from behind his hands. "I was waiting until he went to Hogwarts for this to come up."

"We both knew it was coming – thank goodness he asked, at least. Imagine if he asked Al!"

"Speaking of him, what's his surname?" He sensed her hesitance. "Astoria, what's the boy's surname?"

"Potter."

"_What_?"

"You heard me, Draco. His name is Al Potter."

"Oh, and I bet that isn't his full name!"

"Sure, maybe his first name is Albert or Alexander."

"Ha! No, he's named after the man I was ordered to kill!"

"_Draco_! Dumbledore has nothing to do with Al!"

"He has everything to do with this boy. You've read the reports – Potter was there when Dumbledore fell from that tower. He saw me wailing about my family and how You-Know-Who would kill my family. And you want me to have a play date with the bloke?"

"_You _aren't having the play date. This is between your son and his friend. Like you said, people judge on your company. Imagine a Potter and a Malfoy becoming friends, or better yet, allies. The Malfoy name could be cleared with this friendship."

Draco sighed and said, "I hope he's as annoying as his family."


	3. Chapter 3

"I can't believe I agreed to this," said Harry and he tied his daughter's shoes.

"I can't believe you're making such a big deal out of this," said Ginny. "Honestly, you don't have to do anything except make small-talk and nod your head. Astoria and I will probably do most of the talking, anyway."

"I hope nothing happens with Jake. Ours are fine, but we don't know how magical little Scorpius is." Ginny said.

"Don't worry, I've made up enough lame excuses for myself at that age – I'm sure one will work with the Malfoy."

"You can't call him 'the Malfoy,' Harry. His name is _Scorpius._"

"That's a hideous name. Who would name their son after a snake?"

"Oh, I don't know...maybe a Slytherin. And you have no right to bash strange names, Mr. It's In Their Honour."

"You agreed to the names."

"I love the names of the kids; but I still cannot forgive you for Severus."

Harry let it drop, knowing the outcome of the small row. It isn't as if they would change Al's name, and it was in honour of the man who saved Harry's life multiple times. By the end of the argument, she would concur that the name isn't that horrible and they would be twenty minutes late.

"Is everyone ready?" Ginny asked.

"No!" Lily wailed. "I can't find Mr. Snuffles!"

"Lils, you don't need Mr. Snuffles for the playground, do you?" asked Harry.

"Of _course _I do, Daddy. He'll keep me comp'ney when the boys run off togezzer."

"Can't you take another toy?"

That was obviously the wrong question. It shaved five minutes off of their time to figure out that no toy could possibly replace Mr. Snuffle's companionship. Nobody asked if everyone was ready for a second round.

The Potters arrived at Amergin's a few minutes late, to see Draco pacing and glancing longingly towards the door. His face reminded Ginny of Scorpius's when he couldn't get an animal at the pet shop. Scorpius, on the other hand, smiled widely at Al and ran over to the others.

Ginny paved the way to the Malfoys, while Harry stalled his time by managing the kids. He was just thinking that it wasn't the brightest idea to bring a Muggle child to a Wizarding playground when a young boy fell from the castle, only to bounce straight into the air. He would have too much explaining to do by the end of the day, but hopefully James would be able to divert his friend.

Draco and Ginny knew more of each other than they knew each other. He obviously knew she was a Weasley, and that was all he had really cared to know back in Hogwarts. He actually didn't care at the play date, either, but Astoria said it was important to feign interest, for some odd female reason. So, he smiled and shook her hand and then immediately sat down and watched his son.

Scorpius was much more social than Draco preferred. According to Astoria, Scorpius had approached the Potter boy and struck conversation. If he was more timid and perhaps more wise, he wouldn't have even met the boy until Hogwarts. But of course, the son of a Death Eater had to be the life of the party.

It slightly unnerved Draco to see the children playing together. He had expected for the kids to detest each other upon discovering their varying beliefs and personalities – much like the way it went with their parents. Instead, they were intent on playing a game with invisible wands and dragons where anyone who was killed could come back to life in a few seconds. Once he saw his child, who looked so much like himself, throwing fake spells at children who so resembled the Potters and Weasleys, everything came rushing into his mind.

He was lost in memories of fires and screams and betrayals when Potter sat down on the bench. A few minutes into the playing, and his glasses were already broken. Draco had a hazy recollection of Potter falling under the heap of children. With sour satisfaction, he also remembered Scorpius emerging gingerly holding half a pair of glasses.

"Ginny, how do you two schooling the children?" asked Astoria.

"We send them to a Muggle primary school," Ginny said. The look on her face somewhat dared the Malfoys to disagree or deem it a foolish choice. Harry seemed to be very interested in the ceiling.

"How do they interact with the Muggles? How many accidental magic mishaps have there been?" Astoria seemed genuinely fascinated with the idea of Muggle primary school.

"There've been a fair few," said Harry. "So far we haven't had to use any mind-sweeping spells, thank goodness. We get on by making up horrible excuses."

"It's getting harder as they grow older," Ginny added. "Jake doesn't believe that James has part-rubber bones anymore, and Peter keeps begging Al to tell him about 'Kidditch' ever since he let it slip."

"You think the boys are bad – Lily can't lie, bless her. Yesterday, she temporarily gave the dog fairy wings. Poor Sarah was so confused; I had to tell her that Princess likes to dress up in Lily's play things."

Draco thought that Astoria wanted to share a story of white lying of Scorpius's Muggle friend, but he knew she would never find one. Scorpius's friends were all like him: sons of Death Eaters. He didn't get along well with them, and Draco couldn't blame him. Scorpius wanted friends, not minions (as Draco had wanted at that age). He was proud of his son for already going down a brighter path than every Malfoy before him, and a little depressed that Scorpius's blood already had him outcast. The Potter children were nice enough since they didn't know what Death Eaters were yet. Once they went to school and learned their prejudices, Scorpius would be outcast into the sea of Voldemort worshippers and dark magic freaks. And though Draco shuddered at the thought of his son becoming a Gryffindor and running around with all types of blood, the thought of him in Azkaban frightened him to death.

Just as Astoria promised, Draco and Harry never had to speak directly to each other. Also as Astoria predicted, the boys hit it off and were begging to have another play date. There were conflicting schedules, and confusing engagements. The parents promised to write, and they set off.


	4. Chapter 4

The Weasley Sunday dinners proved to be fun, loud, and very crowded. Children ran free as if they had been locked in cages for the entire week, and parents would feel the weight lifted off of their shoulders. The dinners worked well for both sides: children had a few hours without their parents hovering (or so they thought) and parents had a few hours to chat and leave the Burrow with their sleeping children.

The usual conversation of what happened over the weekend took place, and Ginny and Harry fell unusually silent. They weren't going to outright lie to family, but they weren't quite ready to tell the truth, either. Hopefully, they would be overlooked. It was a pity at the time that no one was ever overlooked in the Weasley home.

In fact, Harry and Ginny didn't have to say one thing about the play date.

"Mum! Daddy! Guess what?" yelled Rose. She was obviously about to burst with her news, since she had inherited Ron's trait of jumping up and down when excited.

"What is it, Rosie?" Ron asked.

"Al made a new friend, and now I get to meet his new friend!"

Ginny's eyes went wide, but Harry remained stoic. Rose might be talking about Peter or John, he reasoned.

"His name's Scorpos, and his daddy has slimy hair –"

"And he's got a snake scar," added Al.

"Scorpos or his daddy?" asked Rose.

"Scorp – it's more of a mark, but he calls it a scar. It wasn't a real scar, was it, Dad?"

"Of course, we have to consult the scar expert," said Ron.

"I didn't see his mark," said Harry as he gently shoved Ron.

"Mummy, Albie said I could meet him too! Can I?" Rose pleaded.

"Love, we don't know the boy's parents, and your aunt and uncle might not want to introduce us." Hermione said.

"Mum and Dad can tell you all about them, they seemed to know you all," Al said.

"Did they?" asked Ron.

"We might not remember them," said Hermione.

"Trust me, you'll remember at least one of them from Hogwarts," Ginny said.

"You knew the Malfoys at school?" Al asked.

The silence was overwhelming. Harry never heard such quiet in all of his time at the Burrow. Most announcements were those of weddings or births, not of former Death Eaters. The Weasleys were firm believers in the past is the past, but many wouldn't consider Malfoy as the past. He would be more of a memory from a darker time. A darker time who was now a father whose son decided to befriend a Potter, and possibly a Weasley.

"Did you hear the name correctly, Al? Are you sure he wasn't a Malloy, or a MacMillan –" asked Bill.

"How can you mishear the name Malfoy, Bill?" Angelina asked.

"The lad's only six years old. What's the kid's name, Ginny?" asked George.

"Scorpius Malfoy," she said. "He's very polite, and he played nicely with James, Al, and Lily."

"Are you lot mental?" cried Ron. "The second you turn away, that Malfoy is –"

"He's going to _what _Ron? Curse his friend? Perhaps he'll induct Al into the Death Eaters, or give him a dark mark. Is that the kind of rubbish you were thinking of?" Ginny raged.

Harry looked down and seemed to be the only one to notice Rose and Al. They looked sad, scared, and confused. "Uncle Harry, what's a Death Eater?" Rose asked.

"That's for your Mum and Dad to tell you," he said. Harry ushered the duo out of the living room and out into the yard with the rest of the children. Before releasing them, he gave them a warning.

"It would be wise for you to not talk about Death Eaters and dark marks in front of our family," he said. "It's natural curiosity, but those things bring up bad times for most of us."

"Dad, don't you catch Death Eaters?" Al asked.

"I'll explain it to you kids when we get home. Just go and play."

And so Rose and Al ran off. Harry remembered a better time, when all the children worried about were their favourite toys and sweets. They were only six years old, and they already wanted to know about Death Eaters.

Draco always tried his best to avoid his father. Some wounds cut too deep to be repaired with a conciliatory letter or a deep apology. He would never forgive his father for being such a coward, for forcing his adolescent son to kill one of the greatest wizards of all time. When he and Astoria found out that she was pregnant, after his joy, his second thoughts were that he wouldn't allow Lucius to touch his child.

His mother's love was enough to dull out his father's cruel ambitions. As the ever-faithful wife, Narcissa always brought Lucius along for her visits to see Draco. Lucius had slowly tried to creep back into his son's life. When Scorpius was born, Narcissa came into the delivery room and held her grandson. Lucius had stood outside of the door, straining to hear a gurgle or cry from the newborn child. By Scorpius's third birthday, Lucius had wormed his way into his son's life. Draco allowed him to see his grandson and have a kind relationship with his daughter-in-law, but the relationship with his son would always be in a standstill.

"How is little Scorpius these days?" Narcissa asked during a visit. Lucius was in the yard, walking with Scorpius and observing how his grandson looked at the garden. It made Draco's blood boil, yet he stayed looking from the window.

"He's not so little anymore, Narcissa," Astoria said. "He's already six years old! I can't believe it's gone by so fast. Last week, he was my sweet toddler roaming around for the first time."

"Now he's a boy who pretends to have snake bites," Draco said.

"Oh no, I told you, no child should live with a snake –"

"Relax, mother, he's just stretching the truth. We just found out that he's allergic to peanuts, and a bit of the rash is still on his arm."

"It better be a rash," she warned. "Even if it's not, I still cannot stand that snake. The way it looks at me..."

She didn't have to finish. Astoria thought Narcissa was joking, but Draco knew the reality of her disgust with the snake. It must remind her of Nagini, he thought.

"So, what has he been getting into?" she asked.

"He's made a new friend," said Astoria. Draco tried to send her a signal to not say more, but her mouth blocked him out. "The boy is so nice, and he and his siblings are adorable."

"What's his name?"

"Al Potter," said Astoria.

Narcissa spit into her tea and gave the couple a shocked expression. "I apologise, I my hearing is wearing these days. What was that name?"

"You heard correctly; he's a Potter."

"How do the Potters feel about this?"

"From what we've seen, they are tolerating it as much as we are," Draco said. "Potter's wife and Astoria are the only ones who are energetic about it. They chatter and gossip while Potter and I are as silent as statues."

"That's because Ginny and I have the same idea. We believe that if Scorpius and Al stay friends until their Hogwarts days, we might bring more tolerance to the Slytherin and Gryffindor feud."

"Dear, there is a reason a feud exists," explained Narcissa, as if to a young child. "Gryffindors and Slytherins are so alike, but there is one quality that brings the fights: we each protect our own. Not that Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws don't, but Gryffindors and Slytherins are more brash and bragging about their priorities."

"There is a difference," Lucius said. He walked into the room, although Draco suspected that he had been standing there for the entire conversation. "Slytherins know when to hide their loyalties and pretend to pick up others in order to protect their loved ones. Gryffindors clamour about and are never sage enough to be double-sided."

"I though two faces were bad," said Scorpius.

"They are, sweetheart," Astoria said.

"Not when you're protecting others in the long run," argued Lucius.

"Not when the only one you're sacrificing is your son," said Draco.

Scorpius appeared more befuddled than ever before. He didn't understand what was going on and why everyone was staring at his father and grandfather.

"I think it's time you leave, Lucius." Draco said.

All of his talk was lost, and his walk became that of a punished puppy. Lucius's face fell as he exited Malfoy Manner, and Narcissa could be seen rubbing circles into his shoulders.

The only thing Scorpius understood was that he felt pity for his grandfather and father.


	5. Chapter 5

Harry and Ginny had received many shocks through all their days. Living through a gory war can bring those, but the Tuesday morning post brought one of the most intense surprises they'd had in years.

_Dear Harry and Ginny,_

_ This has been the quickest long-lasting row Ron and I have had in our entire relationship – or more accurately, our entire lives. Trust me, I would know. Finally, we both agree on one thing: that Rose is as persistent as we are. She's the one who changed Ron's mind; those big blue eyes are probably what finished the deed._

_ We were wondering if Rose could come to your next play date, if possible? It would be ever so kind of you to bring her along. Of course, you'd also bring Ron, Hugo, and I along with her. Just a fair warning for you. _

_ Best wishes,_

_ Hermione Weasley._

"Harry, you have to read this," said Ginny. She was slightly laughing, and Harry had a lucky guess as to what was written in the letter.

"Did she say who won?" he asked, but he already knew.

"When has Ron ever won? Technically, I believe the row-breaker was Rose. According to Hermione, 'those big blue eyes' won him over."

"Have you written the Malfoys yet?"

"No. I wasn't sure if Rose was coming or not, but now I'll ask if we can invite two cousins."

"You must love awkward play dates. It's uncomfortable enough for the Malfoy to be friends with Al, but now you're adding Rose and Hugo in as well."

"You don't understand," Ginny said in an exhausted tone. "If these kids go off to Hogwarts as friends, it will send a positive message of inter-house relationships."

"I'm fine with the kids being buddies. Ron is the one who will try his best to make everything worse than it is."

"I know that you three weren't great friends with Malfoy, but how bad was he?"

Harry gave her a beyond confused look. "Of all people, you don't get it? His father gave you a book with Voldemort's soul possessed inside of it. Malfoy basically called Hermione the m-word our entire school career, and let's not forget the fact that she was tortured in their home."

"Yes, I do know all of that. There are old tensions and old blood running through you all. Why should all of that be passed on for generations?"

They were interrupted by Lily speeding towards them on her toy broom.

"Lily, what have I told you about riding the broom in the house?" Ginny asked.

"'Riding the broom inside is life-threatn' an' dangerou.'"

"That's right," said Harry. Ginny almost laughed at the feeble parenting he gave their daughter. It usually annoyed her, but Lily seemed to take her father more seriously than Ginny.

"I has a letter for you, Mummy!"

"Thank you, dear."

"An' I'm gonna walk with my foots to my room."

"That's lovely, Lily. And it's much safer."

Harry suddenly turned and asked Lily, "Do you like Scorpius?"

"He's funny," she said as she giggled. "He puts stuff on his head and makes funny faces. He's like Teddy."

Ginny looked over at her husband and gave him a glance that oozed, _I told you so._

* * *

Draco was starting to detest his son's sociability. It was horrid enough that he was best friends with a Potter, but now they were inviting their Weasley relatives. Astoria didn't even try to see the bright side of the situation.

"Do you know which Weasley is coming?"

Draco glared gloomily at his breakfast. "With my luck, every last one of them will."

"Don't be so dramatic."

"Daddy's _always _dramatic," said Scorpius. "I saw him on Saturday. He must really like walls, or he doesn't like Mr. Potter."

Astoria couldn't help from laughing. Draco maintained a straight face.

"What makes you think that I don't like Potter?"

"Well, you call him 'Potter' instead of 'Mr. Potter' or 'Harry.' And your face looks like you smell something bad when you say 'Potter.'"

Draco stared at his son. He had been worrying that Scorpius would be a Hufflepuff or a Gryffindor, but his observations enlightened Draco. Having a Ravenclaw son wouldn't be as dreadful as the other two, and if Scorpius became a Slytherin, life would become much easier for the Malfoys, according to Draco.

"Since when did you notice so many things?" Astoria asked. Scorpius just smirked and looked up at the ceiling, the epitome of innocence.

"Why don't you like Mr. Potter?" asked Scorpius.

Draco tried to forget what his son said, to make it seem like his question was not heard. Scorpius wasn't fooled; he raised his voice until his father noticed him, and was eventually screaming "WHY DON'T YOU LIKE MR. POTTER?" until Draco turned to face his son. They stared into their identical eyes, their identical face, and their identical _everything, _awaiting the next few words.

"We never got along," said Draco. Scorpius was practically jumping of silent anticipation. "We believed in different types of friends and very different types of magic. We disagreed so much; it turned us into complete enemies."

"Then why would you let me be friends with his son?"

"I didn't, your mother did," he said.

"Draco!"

"It's true, love. I'm not happy about your friend choice, but he's _your _friend. Potter and I both know that we will never be friends. We can't change the next generation, though."

Scorpius had a face of utmost thought on his face. He seemed on the verge of spilling his thoughts, but stopped at the last second. He asked to be excused instead.

"You've intimidated him," Astoria said. "Now he's going to think that we don't like his friends. What if you and Harry had become friends back in the day? What would your parents have done?"

He gave a harsh chuckle. "They would have thrown me out of the house."

She looked as if she was going to chastise his assumption. Then she sat down next to her husband and hugged him.


	6. Chapter 6

The Potters, Weasleys, and the Malfoys eventually came to a day for the play date. Albeit it took around a month for it to be decided, the children and mothers were happy that the men got over their "schoolboy feuding" as it was called. Even Harry was glad that a settlement was reached; only Ron and Draco were grouchy.

Ron could be seen stomping around and raising his voice much more often than usual. Hermione was on her wit's end because of a difficult case at work and the play date. Hearing her husband acting like a child didn't make her feel as warm as it typically did. Instead, she would bark at him to stop making so much noise, to which Ron would respond that he could make as much of a racket in his home as he wanted.

"Daddy, why are you sleeping down here?" Rose asked.

"I was acting rude, love."

"Whatcha do?"

"I was being overdramatic."

"Wasts 'overdramatic?'"

"It means that I made a big deal about something."

"Is it about work?"

"No."

"Is it about me?"

"No, definitely not."

"Is it about my play date?"

Ron was half a tongue away from saying "no" to his daughter. It would have been the first time he lied to a child of his, or even thought of it.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Scorpius's father and I...we weren't great friends back in the day."

"Wuz he mean?"

"Uh...we just didn't get along."

"So he's a meanie?"

"I don't know him now; I just didn't like him much as a kid."

Rose surveyed him from her tilted head. "Okay," she said.

"Hey!" he called to her.

"What, Daddy?"

"Don't do that thing your mummy does –"

"Find the truth, you mean?"

Ron was taken aback by his daughter's smirk, her mischievous eyes, and most of all her raised eyebrows. Technically, they didn't quite belong to Rose. Hermione was the one who had invented that face – the face of overwhelming knowledge, the power of figuring something out that wasn't meant to be uncovered.

"Yeah," Ron said. "You don't need to learn about it just yet."

"Okay," said Rose, who had not abandoned her mother's look.

"I mean it, I really do, Rosie."

Rose didn't say a word; she didn't have to. It was written all over her face: _I'm going to find out what you're hiding from me._

* * *

"Mummy, have you met the Weasleys?" Scorpius asked one morning.

"No, I haven't," she said.

"What about you, Daddy? Have you met them?"

Without looking up from the paper, Draco said, "In passing."

"What do you mean, 'in passing?' You've either met them or you haven't."

"It means that I've met them and don't want to tell you about it," said Draco.

Scorpius was as clever as his age would allow in trying to find out about his father and the Weasleys. He wouldn't ask all the time, but in intervals that he believed to be long. He didn't know that six-year-old time and parent time were two very different time zones. After three days and six failed attempts, Scorpius gave up on trying to find the truth through his father. By then it was the play date, so he decided that Al and the Weasleys would probably know what had happened in the adult world.

He was very excited for his play date. Despite being extremely social, Scorpius never got to play with kids his own age often. Or at all, if he thought about it. He didn't know why; he would be talking and laughing with a boy his age in Diagon Alley when the parent would usher their child away and glare in Scorpius's direction as if he was a horrible troublemaker. He didn't yet understand that the parent was always glaring at Draco, or that the child's eyes would widen in horror after the parent whispered in his ear, _his father plays with dark magic. _

So Scorpius was rather happy that he made a friend who didn't talk about scary things that the boys he was forced to be around talked about. The other boys were always trying frightening things, like jumping from dangerous heights and playing with wild animals that didn't want to play with humans. When he played with Al, they were powerful wizards going on a quest or two knights trying to save their damsels.

* * *

The park was bright and sunny on the second play date. It was a peaceful place, with chattering birds and laughing children. It was certainly peaceful to Scorpius, until he was tackled to the ground.

"JAMES! You pushed me _again_!"

"Hi Lily," said Scorpius.

"Oh I'm sorry, Scorpy," she said in earnest. "It was all Jamie's fault!"

"It was not," said James.

"It kind of was, James," said another redheaded girl. Draco found himself wondering how many gingers could possibly be in one family when Granger came over. Of course, she wasn't Granger anymore; he would probably have to call her Hermione or Mrs. Weasley nowadays, but she would always be Granger to him. Granger, the annoying Mudblood who had beaten him in every subject. He was surprised to have thought the insulting word, but it seemed to slip out. Draco reminded himself to shut his tongue and let Astoria do the talking, as usual.

"Lily, what happened?" Granger asked.

"I wuz playing with Rose and James pushed me," she said through her fake tears.

"I didn't push her!" the accused exclaimed.

"James, don't lie to me," Granger said in a stern voice.

"I didn't mean to, anyway..."

"See? Now all you have to do is apologise to Lily. Then it will all be forgotten."

The boy accepted defeat and gave a hearty apology. Lily accepted and they went right along playing, this time with a blond guest.

"What a way to meet," said Granger.

"I'm Astoria, it's nice to meet you,"

The women gave their likewise and let's go sit and talk dance while Draco stood off to the side. It seemed that the women had let their old tensions slip, but he wasn't foolish enough to think that he could have a full conversation with Potter or Weasley without sneering. The idea of not sneering and having an intellectual conversation with either of them seemed ridiculous.

It wasn't ridiculous to his son, though. Scorpius fit right in with the children, and even Astoria gained some acceptance. After too short a while, Astoria came over to him.

"Those people are absolutely lovely, dear."

"Those people absolutely hate me, dear."

"No they don't," Astoria insisted. Draco cocked one eyebrow and sniggered. "At least come over with me," she pleaded.

"Fine," said Draco. "Don't expect me to be happy."

"Why would I?" Her tone was serious, but after a second or so she was grinning.

* * *

"Do you wanna play the troll under the bridge, Scorp?" Al asked. Everyone else said yes, so the game choice was set.

"I'll be on top," said James as he puffed out his chest and lifted his chin. "Princes are always on top."

"Ha ha, no," Rose said. "Lily and I will be on top. The boys can be on the bottom – you already know how to be trolls."

The boys gave indignant outcries, which Lily and Rose ignored.

"What do we do under the bridge?" Scorpius asked.

"You can be the prince, Scorp," Rose said. "You have to save Lily and me from the trolls."

"Why can't we be princes?" Al asked.

"The prince is never the princess's cousin!" Lily said in a voice that made it clear how obvious it all was.

"Whatever. How do we stop him?" James asked.

"Use spells on him," Rose said. "Here are your wands."

She gave each of the boys sticks from the ground, which they took precious care of.

The game started off a little boring, but it became funny fast. Scorpius was about to reach the top of the bridge (a.k.a. the jungle gym) when James would call out "Fall-Down-itis!" and Scorpius would slowly, with consideration to his limbs, fall to the ground. The spells became more entertaining as time went on; Hugo yelled out "Dragon-itis!" and Scorpius acted like a flame-throwing dragon. Eventually it got old for Scorpius to be the only monkey. Next, Al began to play.

The princesses were forgotten. Lily just wanted to have fun, so she joined the boys with a wand of her own. A little while after that, Rose came down and grabbed a wand as well.

Finally everyone had been the monkey except for Hugo. He was scared, because he thought that the spells were real. When Scorpius came towards him, he felt like a hunted animal. Before Scorpius said a word, Hugo was crying.

"What's wrong?" Rose asked her brother.

"He wuz gonna curse me an' blow me up!"

"No he wasn't, Hugo,"

"What's wrong with Hugo?" Ron asked.

"We were playing monkey and he started crying," said Al.

"_Monkey_?"

"Uncle Won-Won, it is _so _fun! There's a circle, and the monkey gets in the middle and everyone casts funny spells on them!"

"What happened to Hugo?"

"Nothing – I didn't cast anything yet," Scorpius said.

"So you were the one who was going to cast a spell on him?"

"Yes sir," Scorpius said. He didn't understand why Mr. Weasley was frowning at him like that, or why his face turned so red.

"Are you all right, Uncle Ron?" James asked.

"Yeah," he said, but his offhand voice told a different story.

* * *

After sitting in Hermione's lap for a few minutes, Hugo was ready to play again. Hermione completely agreed that Hugo was a sensitive child and that it was easy for him to become riled up. When she prodded Ron, he nodded his head while frowning at the ground. Conversation continued, but Astoria could smell the tension coming from Ron.

The adults were talking about schooling when Ron suddenly spoke. "Maybe Hugo's too _sensitive _for Hogwarts, Hermione. We should just send him to a Muggle school where wands are only toys and nobody tries to cast spells on each other."

Hermione and Ginny gave Ron glares, and Harry continued to watch the children, except Astoria knew that he was more listening to Ron than watching the kids.

"You can't say that he isn't sensitive, dear," Hermione said. "If anyone had pointed a stick at him – if Lily pointed a stick at him, he would have been scared. He thought it was actual magic."

"He knows Lily," Ron mumbled.

"Of course he knows her, they're cousins," said Ginny. "Are you saying that she isn't as much of a prankster as Fred and George were? I think that she's better than James and Fred, as a matter of fact."

Ron fell silent, still holding his grimace. Astoria didn't like the way he would occasionally glare back at Draco, or worse, glare at Scorpius from afar. It boiled her blood.

"Do you have a problem, Ron?" she asked. Judging by his surprised expression, he must have forgotten that she was sitting right next to him. He surprise melted away as he jumped at the chance for an honest response.

"I have a problem with your kid pointing a wand at mine," he said.

The Potters and Weasleys turned on Ron, telling him to stop being so hot-headed and to accept that children can be different from their parents. Astoria and Draco observed from the outside, even though they were only a metre or so away.

"Obviously, our son won't be accepted here," Draco said. The bickering adults fell silent.

"Please don't leave," said Ginny. "Our children are friends, whether Ron likes it or not."

Draco ignored her, and Astoria looked her over for a second. "I'm sorry, Ginny. I suppose they just weren't meant to be friends."

No one said a word. Draco went to fetch the car while Astoria went to fetch Scorpius. The other kids walked him to his car, each waving and smiling him off. Astoria wondered if they would even recognise each other when they went off to Hogwarts. She hoped they would be friends there, but even she knew it was a weak chance.


	7. Epilogue

The trains greatly intimidated the children. They puffed out their steam and blew out their loud whistles with a scary finality. For the eleven year olds, the Hogwarts Express symbolised a new freedom never before experienced. They each tried to pretend that they were glad to be rid of their parents and younger siblings, though it was weak lying. Their parents never said so, but they always remembered the same gut-wrenching nerves that came with the train and left with the friends, feasts, and magic.

Rose and Albus were stuck together like glue on the train. James greatly advised them against being friends with relatives, at least until they each found their own friends. Albus was too awkward and Rose was too nervous to take his advice. And according to what James called "tough love," he wouldn't let them sit with him.

So we find two timid eleven-year-olds dashing around the train in a frenzy, trying to find a compartment. After feeling like they had walked through the entire train, the two found a partially empty compartment.

"It's open, if you want it," said the boy. His voice had a trained, robotic quality of repeating the phrase over and over again.

"Thanks," said Al. "What's your name?"

"I'm Scorpius Malfoy," the boy said.

"Hi – can I call you Scorpy?" Rose asked.

Scorpius laughed and agreed. The three exchanged names and pretended that it didn't matter who their parents were. They spent the train ride forgetting how frightening it was to be away from home and trading chocolate frog cards and daring each other to each Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. They each had a foggy memory of a friend who resembled the child in front of them, but passed it off as a dream.

* * *

**A/N: Wow, it's over! I hope that you liked it. But whether you liked it or not, please message me to tell me how I did :)**


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